A/N: I hope the next book is sooooo worth this wait.
"Hermione… Hermione," Remus whispered.
Hermione looked away from the guard that was standing close by.
"Remus? What are you doing here?" she asked.
Remus glanced over at the guard then back at her. "Just wanted to know how you were doing before the trial starts," he answered.
"I'm fine," she murmured.
Remus frowned. "Ron wants you to know that he's sorry for what happened and that he doesn't blame you at all. He says you have no reason to apologize for what happened," he told her.
"That doesn't sound like Ron," Hermione whispered.
Remus shrugged. "You know Ron. He doesn't say it in those exact words but you know what he's trying to say."
"Why can't I see him?" Hermione asked.
Remus looked down the hall, out of Hermione's vision then back at her. "Actually… I think he's here. Ministry laws and what not," he said before standing up. Hermione gasped and stumbled out of her chair. Ron's eyes got big and he went over to her, pulling her into a hug as she tried to do the same, though her hands were bond together tightly in magical handcuffs. Ron looked down at her hands.
"I always imagined you in cuffs, but never like this," he whispered.
Hermione broke out in a sob and he kissed her before holding onto her tighter, stroking her hair as he tried to calm her down.
"Shh… It's ok… It's going to be ok," he whispered.
"I missed you so much," Hermione cried softly.
Ron helped her back in her seat, eyeing the guard near by with disdain. "You haven't been hurt have you?" he asked.
Hermione shook her head as Ron's eyes roved over her, checking for any sign of foul play. "I'm fine, Ron," she insisted.
He looked up at her, touching her face. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked.
Hermione bit her lip. "I didn't think you should know…" she whispered. "I'm not that strong."
Ron shook his head, kissing her again. "You've made it this far without breaking…"
"You don't think I killed that man?"
Ron shook his head. "I don't think you're guilty," he answered.
Harry sat where he was told, sighing as he watched several old men take their places upon their golden thrones of judgment. Many of them he recognized from the years of the Last War. He had been ordered to testify against many Death Eaters in front of these men. He hated them all. Right beside him was a sort of grated cage. It looked more like one of those penalty boxes he had seen on the Muggle televisions during his trips to America. Some sport using ice skates but the name eluded him for the moment. Hermione would be sitting in that small little box in a moment's time.
Harry stiffened when he saw Ginny come in, escorted by none other than Helton. She was holding his hand while she led the way over towards where Harry was sitting. Ginny however, didn't seem too thrilled on sitting next to Harry with Helton present and sat a row behind Harry and a few seats down from him. Harry glanced behind him to see Helton pointing at Harry and watching Ginny with a very concerned look. She turned to him and shook her head. When he whispered something, Ginny just gave him a quick peck on the lips then turned back to the small circular hearing room, avoiding Harry's gaze. Harry sighed and turned back to the center as well. He wished Ron could be there, but the poor red head had been forced to stay out side of the hearing room and then had been removed to the Auror Department when he had spotted the Minister's wife and had said something less than acceptable. Moody wasn't in the best of moods as well, his throat hoarse after his little private talk with Ron.
What surprised Harry was that Dumbledore was here. He sat down near the door with Moody and Kingsley was conversing quietly with Alastor while eyeing the cage curiously. Harry had to remind himself to find the old man later and talk to him. It had been so long.
"Now that we are all here, let us bring in the accused," one of the older men said.
Everyone turned towards the grated cage and Harry watched in dismay as Hermione appeared from the ground, tied down to a chair by magical chains. Though she had spent a good week and a half in Azkaban, she looked rather good. She didn't look like many of the people Harry had seen on his trips to the dreaded place.
"Ms. Hermione Jane Granger. You are here today because you have been accused of the murder of Healer Preston Callon. After a brief update on what went on, you will be given the opportunity to recount on the events surrounding this tragic happening. Understood?" the old man asked.
Hermione looked around and froze, her chocolate eyes pinned on the poison green fingernails and the unending scribbling on the exhausted pad of paper.
"What is she doing here?" she asked quietly. It seemed her question was directed to Harry, who was near by. He glanced up and froze as well. He hadn't noticed her slink in.
Anger boiled up his blood as he glared at the unwanted woman. "I don't know…"
"Am I understood, Ms. Granger?" the old man repeated tersely.
Hermione turned to him, her eyes cold. "Sure… you're understood," she responded just as sharply.
Another man spoke up. "I suggest you watch your tone, Ms. You're treading perilous waters as it is, so keep the cheek in check."
Hermione didn't respond. Satisfied, the old man, George Charleston, nodded to a much younger man, Harry recognized to be Herald Vander. A stuffy son of a bitch who had had his eyes on Hermione ever since she had gotten out of Hogwarts. Her and Ron hadn't really been dating yet. It was more of an understanding that Vander hadn't gotten. Harry had hated him the moment Vander had introduced himself to him and Hermione and had been sure to mention it to Ron the next time they had seen each other.
"At five fifty-five o'clock on April 22, Hermione Granger was placed into a safe room for observation of her mental sanity. Five minutes into the observation, Ms. Granger headed for a bed placed in the room and disappeared under it. Within minutes, blood was seen coming from under the bed and Healer Preston Callon entered the room to help her. Ms. Granger was seen pulling Mr. Callon under the bed and after a struggle, Ms. Granger appeared from under the bed, covered in blood and holding exhibit A, the murder weapon," Vander said, holding up a bag containing the sharp piece of metal.
"I didn't pull him under the bed!" Hermione protested.
"Hermione," Harry growled in warning.
"Ms. Granger! I suggest you keep your mouth shut until Mr. Vander finishes the report or I will send you back to Azkaban for failing to comply with the law," Mr. Charleston advised.
Hermione shut her mouth and glared at Vander as he continued. "Ms. Granger then proceeded to go back to the bed and pull out Mr. Callon, who was already dead," he finished.
Mr. Charleston turned to all those who were present. "Now you have all heard the report on the murder of Healer Preston Callon. We will now hear Ms. Hermione Granger's testimony as well as the testimony of several others who were present." He turned to Hermione. "Ms. Granger. You may now start," he said.
Hermione pulled at the chains which only constricted tighter around her wrist and ankles and sighed. "I was put into that room so those Healers could observe me. Something spoke to me from under the bed and I went to go shut it up. It tortured me. I don't care if you don't believe me, something was under that bed and that's what killed Callon, not me. I've never killed any one…"
"The Ministry does have a record of one case in which a Death Eater was killed by your hand, Ms. Granger," a woman from the Judgment section responded coolly.
Hermione sat up straighter. "Well, I think the Ministry had better check its documents again, because I have never killed any one," she shot back, her eyes back on the woman with the ugly glasses and scaly jacket. The quill was still going. The older man began to say something but Hermione was paying attention. Something else had grabbed her attention. By the door, something seemed to be troubling the guards from outside because one had come in and was now whispering to Moody about something that seemed urgent. Alastor's magic eye swiveled around so that it was looking at the door where the guard had come from. He stayed like that for a moment then got up and left the hearing room with the guard without another word. Hermione felt the cold chill when ever she knew he was near and began to move around more, pulling harder at her bonds. This only created more problems, causing the chains to tighten painfully. That's when panic set in and Harry was the first to notice. She was making little noises of frustration as she continued to pull and then she would gasp as the pain came. Sweat beads were starting to form and her hair was starting to stick to her back as she relentlessly tugged at the impervious chains.
Harry leaned forward. "Hermione… Hermione calm down… Hermione, calm down," he whispered to her.
She didn't seem to be listening as she leaned her head back and continued to pull. She was biting her lip hard and she could already taste the blood.
"Ms. Granger, what is that matter?" Charleston demanded.
She continued her pulling. By now, the bonds seemed to be cutting off her circulation, seeing as her hands had turned purple. She began to moan and her eyes bulged. "Let me go," she groaned.
Harry glanced over at Dumbledore, who was watching her carefully then kneeled down, looking down into the cage. "Hermione, you need to calm down. Nothing's going to happen in here," he hissed.
Hermione looked up at him. "He's coming…. He's coming, Harry… He's coming to get me…"
"Hermione, what are you talking about?" Harry asked.
Before she could answer, Moody came back into the hearing room and closed the door behind him. He walked as fast as he could over to where the Head of the hearing was sitting and began to whisper fast to the old man. He was cut short by a knocking on the door. Hermione held perfectly still as she watched the door in horror. A man stood up and went to the door.
"NO! DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR!" Hermione screamed.
WOOSH!
Pandemonium broke out as the doors burst open and the man was surrounded by something black and smelly. Curses flew as people gaped at the thing that had entered the room. Curses did nothing but hit opposite walls and cause debris to fall down, making the room fill up with smoke. Hermione continued to scream until the thing seemed to look straight at her. It came rushing for her, enveloping her cage in a blanket of horror and excruciating pain.
"NO!!" she screamed as felt her lungs constricting as the pressure crushed her.
Suddenly the thing left her and began to circle the room, grabbing random people and goring them in the nastiest ways possible. Hermione looked down and realized that her hands and legs were free, so she stood up and began pounding on the ground. She spotted Ginny and then pointed behind her.
"LOOK OUT!" Hermione screamed.
Flashes of light could be seen through the smoke as people tried to hit the thing that was bent on getting at Hermione. Something hit the bars and Hermione whirled around.
"Harry!" She gasped, moving over as he blasted open the keyhole and opened the small grated cell Hermione was in. She stumbled out and pulled him into a hug, sobbing.
"It's ok... It's ok... I'm here..." he whispered, stroking her hair as she sobbed.
She pulled away. "Where's Ron?"
They looked around the desolated room and Harry pointed, eyes large. "There!"
"RON! BEHIND YOU!!" Hermione screamed.
Ron, who had just come through the hearing room door, looked around and ducked just as the thing flew over him, straight for Hermione again. Harry grabbed Hermione and pulled her down to the ground, placing himself over her as the thing surrounded them and began to constrict them. Ron ran for the large black shadow and was about to fire when Harry came flying out and knocked him down. They could hear Hermione's screaming as the thing ballooned then compressed. Then it disappeared completely.
"HERMIONE!"
The fact that Hermione had been let off of all charges didn't cool down the raging inferno that was Ronald Weasley. Not only did he have a few words to say with the overseer of the whole thing, but he also had enough burning anger inside of him to let loose a few choice words on Alastor Moody, who, instead of getting mad, was rather impressed with Ron. That still didn't help Ron's mood.
Aurors had scoured the entire wizard London and even some parts of muggle London, but Hermione was no where to be found. Harry was out with them while Ron was stuck in the conference room. Just because Moody didn't get mad didn't mean he trusted Ron's judgment at the moment. Helton and Ginny were also with him, looking over files together as they whispered softly. Ron was just thankful that they weren't cuddling or anything. Just sitting there talking. Sighing, he looked down at the file in his hand then tossed it on the table, jolting the two on the other side of the room out of their conversation. Ginny watched her brother with concern.
"They'll find her, Ron. You know Harry will find her," she whispered.
"She shouldn't be missing in the first place," Ron replied, standing up and moving for the door.
Helton stood up. "You know I can't let you out of this room until Moody comes back."
Ron glanced over at him and nodded, running his hands through his hair. "Yeah… I know…" He looked around then froze. "Helton?"
"What?"
"Do you know the man Constantine Raden?"
"Raden? You mean Constantine 'Cut 'er up' Raden the Death Eater? The one who chopped up those girls for dog food?" Helton asked, surprised by the enquiry.
Ginny frowned. "Why does everyone insist on being so disrespectful," she huffed, crossing her arms in disdain.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, him. Do you know about him?"
Helton snorted. "Who doesn't? I mean, I wasn't in charge of him, but I've heard stories of what those Aurors found. Some say he did it himself but others said he just gave the orders. The Ministry never actually found out about that," he responded, frowning. "What about him?"
"Do you know anything about the type of magic he used?"
Helton paused for a moment in thought. He then nodded. "I'm not exactly sure if this is accurate, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard that he dealt with Voodoo," Helton told him.
"Voodoo? Are you sure? I didn't know that was actually magic?"
Helton shook his head. "Well, it wasn't really Voodoo. It was more like Gothic magic," Helton corrected himself.
"Gothic Magic?"
"I think it has to do with more of the spirits and stuff and less of the whole wand thing. I think that's what they called it. Doesn't really sound like an appropriate name though," he replied.
Ginny looked over at Ron. "You don't think that's what he's using? Gothic magic?"
Ron shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
They all turned to see the door open and Harry come in, Moody and Kingsley following him. Ron went over to them. "Well?" he asked.
Harry shook his head. "We didn't find anything. The hearing room's been searched thousands of times but there was nothing found there either. Whoever took her really knows how to hide her," Harry commented.
Ron glanced around then moved past Harry. "Not for long," he growled.
"Where are you going?" Moody barked.
"Diagon Ally," he called over his shoulder.
"Why?"
"To see Fred and George."
"You think he's hiding her there?" Harry asked.
"No, but they might know someone who might know where she is," he said before disappearing around the corner.
Moody turned to Helton, Ginny and Harry. "I want you three to stay on his ass and if he gets out of your sight, I'll have all of your arses, even your Weasley," he growled.
Ginny's eyes got wide and she nodded before following Helton, who lead her down the hall by the hand. Harry was stopped by Moody, whose eyes were on Ginny.
"Don't let what ever it is you have for that girl get in the way of the decision making. You may know more about war than any one else, but Helton's in charge so listen to him. He's not like you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, frowning.
"He doesn't let his personal life affect his work," Moody growled before shoving Harry off towards a waiting Ginny.
Harry glanced behind him at Moody then went over to Ginny who frowned.
"Are you ok?" she asked.
"I'm fine…" Harry responded. "Where's Helton?"
"Right here," the man responded, coming out of his office. He looked around. "You two ready?"
Ginny offered a faint smile at him though it was obvious by her pale features that she was worried, and sighed. "As ready as one can be when going to visit my two brothers," she replied.
Helton smiled and began to move off down the hall, followed by Ginny. Harry lagged behind slightly, his eyes on Ginny. Would he let his affection for the small feisty red head get in the way of his decision making?
Time would only tell…
A/N: I decided to add the first scene when the thought hit me that they might not be able to talk to each other again. I didn't want to do the whole Blood and Chocolate thing where it just ends. SO!
mione-ron-4ever: Don't worry. I don't type this up after dark either.
GTKari-123: Well, you got your wish. I gave them one last BANG! before she left... I'm cold...
NairobiDawn: Well, now everyone knows she's not insane.
Wesker888: Nice job on Crawling.
cheeky splash: I love to tease my readers. It keeps them wanting more because their so confused.
sballLuvr5: I hope this chapter is good.
charma10: I always want to make at least one chapter where nothing's actually happening but the reader understands what's going on and get's an insight in the life during the War.
LunaSky: Quite a few people are asking themselves that same question.
HerFathersJoy: I love my job!
A/N: Apparently, people are finding this hard to read at night... I couldn't imagine why...
No Chapter Tease. (I haven't written the next chapter yet!)